


Five-Man Band

by ElsaTheCow



Category: Teen Titans (Animated Series), Teen Titans - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst and Humor, Band Fic, F/M, Gen, Multi, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-20
Updated: 2019-04-20
Packaged: 2020-01-22 20:32:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18534967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElsaTheCow/pseuds/ElsaTheCow
Summary: A Teen Titans college AU, where instead of focusing on battling villains our heroes are focusing on Battle of the Bands.  Eventual BBRae and RobStar, with a side dish of Jinx/Kid Flash.  One-sided BBTerra, one-sided Raven/Malchior.  A coming-of-age story with lots of college angst, some humor, and many, many feelings.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Character Reference Sheet (Ch. 1):
> 
> Dick Grayson - Robin  
> Bruce Wayne - Batman
> 
> A/N: Hi everyone! This is going to be a LONG FIC, but I'm starting with the prologue. I have about 2.5 other chapters done so far, and I've got a ways to go. Please let me know what you think!
> 
> Also, I know that many of you probably know who Dick Grayson and Bruce Wayne are, but like... just in case, they're on that list. Character names get more complicated later on, so I've got a list for each chapter.

It wasn’t that Dick Grayson didn’t like to have fun.  It was just that for him, any kind fun wasn’t necessary—or even relevant—unless a person had done exactly what they had set out to do. And, of course, it wasn’t his fault that success and winning (especially winning) were important to him.  Right.  Because winning isn’t everything—it’s just the only thing that matters.  And don’t you dare say he’s wrong, because deep down we all want to win at something.  Dick had always known this better than anyone.

Current Example?  Well, Dick wanted to win the 6th Annual Battle of the Bands at Delaney College.  Sure, it sounds like a small goal.  The problem was, Dick didn’t have a band.  Well, not yet.

 

\--

 

Dick had always loved music.  He grew up with violin and the infamous Suzuki method booklets.  From the age of 4, Dick was coached by the top violinists in the state—not to mention encouraged by John Grayson, his father, who was a renowned concert violinist.  Dick’s dad was his role model for a long time.  Dick’s mom, Mary Grayson, was also a famous musician.  Her cello skills were famous throughout New York City, where Dick grew up.  Dick played his first concert with his parents at age 7.  But that was a long, long time ago.  And his birth parents were gone.  The accident had made sure of that.

Shortly after the accident, Dick ended up being adopted by Bruce Wayne, a famous singer-songwriter who had known John and Mary’s classical work and admired them greatly.  What was Bruce Wayne like?  Think… Ed Sheeran, but older and more brooding. 

 

When Dick found it hard to look at his violin again, even a year later, Bruce taught his adoptive son how to play the guitar.  So, as many do, Dick started with acoustic guitar and worked his way to electric guitar by the time he was 13 years old.  And as he played song cover after song cover, Dick realized that _this_ was his calling: the guitar.  He lived for the riffs and the solos and the collaborative creativity that was a rock band.  When it came to playing guitar, he loved every minute of it.  Sure, he couldn’t sing to save his life, but he _could_ shred on the guitar like nobody’s business.  And as Dick grew older, he knew that electric guitar was truly his calling; music was his calling, just like it was for his birth parents and his father.

 

\--

 

If you were to ask Dick Grayson what his goal for his music would be, he’d say it was to play for thousands of fans, all screaming his name.  Glittering, cheaply-glued signs would be held up high in the air.  They’d say things like “Dick Grayson ROCKS!” or “Marry me, Dick!!!”  Also, at least one fan would be so inspired by his incredible performance that they’d call him their hero.  

Above all?  Dick wanted to be a legend.  He wanted to be someone’s hero.

 

And he’d argue to anyone that questioned his dream that he wasn’t just another dumb kid with an impossible mission.  He really believed that he could change the music world someday.  He’d swear it. 

He just needed a damn band first.  

 

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves here, aren’t we?  We ought to start at the beginning of the story, at the beginning of Dick’s freshman year of college.  

Welcome to Juniper, Pennsylvania.


	2. And they were ROOMMATES

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the day before orientation; we meet Dick's roommate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character Reference Sheet (Ch. 1):
> 
> Richard "Dick" Grayson - Robin  
> Kole Weathers - Kole  
> John "Gnarrk" Gnarrk - Gnarrk (slightly obvious JUST GO WITH IT)  
> Raven Roth - Raven (also obvious maybe but like JUST GO WITH IT again)

Dick sighed in relief as he plopped his final suitcase onto the floor of his dorm room. The first day of orientation was tomorrow, and Dick was moving himself in (Dad was busy performing at home in New York City). He’d driven from New York to Pennsylvania himself, actually, and he was seriously proud that he’d managed to pack everything he’d need into one van—the very same van he’d received as a high school graduation present.

And... wow, high school graduation really did seem so far away, now that Dick was in the middle of the small town of Juniper and getting ready to embark on the next chapter of his life.

 

“H’lo?” A big—like, scary big—guy that most certainly did NOT look young enough to be a freshman came fumbling into Dick’s dorm room, carrying a huge-ass suitcase. Dick looked up from his phone—he was texting his dad to tell him he’d arrived safely—to see what appeared to be his new roommate.

Dick pushed his phone into his skinny jean pocket and held out his hand. “Richard Grayson. Call me Dick. Nice to meet you… John Gnarrk, right? Glad to meet you, John.”

The big guy nodded. “Just go by Gnarrk. Nice t’ meet you.” He looked cautiously at Dick’s hand before fist bumping Dick’s open palm, seeming satisfied. Dick forced a smile before turning back to typing on his phone.

Gnarrk looked curiously at Rick’s furious typing. “That an iTouch?”

Dick’s eyebrows shot up. “It’s my phone. An iPhone.”

Gnarrk’s eyes went comically wide. “YOU have an iPhone? No way! I thought those things were, ya know, for royalty!”

Dick frowned. Gnarrk didn’t have a Facebook or a cell phone number, so he’d never messaged the guy before. He’d assumed strict parents, but… “I’m not royalty, so I’m gonna go with a no on that one. Where did you get that idea from?”

“Ma and Pa, a’course. We don’t really do techno stuff in my area.” Gnarrk shrugged, as if this closed the case, when in reality it just was opening up a whole new can of worms. But Dick didn’t want to press on; the last thing he needed was to make his roommate uncomfortable and ruin a perfectly good first day. Well, the first hour of the first day, anyway.

 

A knock on the door startled Dick out of his train of thought. “Hey, Gnarrk? You in there?” A youthful-looking girl with big blue eyes walked casually into their room. Co-ed dorms were going to be interesting, to say the least.

“Oh! You must be Gnarrk’s roommmate!” The girl stuck out her hand. Finally, a normal person… Dick shook her hand. “I’m Kole, Gnarrk’s girlfriend.” Dick’s eyebrows shot up. Gnarrk had struck him as incredibly sheltered--how’d he manage to find a girlfriend?

“Oh, cool. How long have you guys been together?” Dick asked. He was actually really, really curious.

Kole smiled brightly. “We’ve been best friends since we were 2 years old, and we’ve been dating since we were 13. My parents have finally stopped begging Gnarrk to propose, because they’ve realized that he’s not going anywhere. Isn’t that right, Gnarrk?” Gnarrk nodded gruffly, but he was blushing a little.

“After Gnarrk got a scholarship to play football here, I just knew I had to follow him. Gnarrk is undecided for his major, but I’m studying chemistry--or, well, I will be.” She giggled. “What about you?” There was an enthusiasm and innocence to Kole that Dick found charming. She also seemed more personable than Gnarrk. Or Dick, for that matter.

“I’m a music major. Guitar concentration.”

“That’s cool!” Kole answered, as she twirled the ring on her finger. Dick hadn’t noticed the sparkling ring on her finger until now, one with a light-blue crystal on it. Truthfully, now he couldn’t help but stare. Didn’t Kole just say they weren’t engaged?

“Gnarrk gave me this promise ring right before we left for school.” Kole’s smile was practically bursting off of her face. “He’s not much for sappy words, but sappy actions? That he’ll do.” She looked over at Gnarrk, who was “busy” unpacking his clothing from the suitcase. She walked over to him and gave him a kiss on the top of his head.

 

Dick glanced at his watch. He felt like he was… intruding, or something, even though this was his room. At least, it partially was. “Alright, well, I guess I’m gonna head to the dining hall. I’ll see you guys later, then.”

“Oh, great! I’m starving.” Kole laced her slender fingers in Gnarrk’s large hand. “Why don’t we all go together?” Gnarrk shrugged.

Dick nodded. Better that than looking like a friendless loser on his first day on campus. “Sure.”

 

\--

 

The dining hall was packed with students by noon, and the semester hadn’t even officially started. In fact, freshman-year orientation hadn’t even started yet. Nevertheless, Dick, Gnarrk, and Kole had some trouble finding a table among the crowd of first-year students, all of whom must have thought 12PM was the perfect time to eat.

Luckily, Dick noticed a mostly-empty table in the back of the dining hall. “Hey, guys, how about here?” He motioned with his head, as his hands were currently clasping his food tray. “Looks mostly empty.”

 

Kole cocked her head. “Oh, yeah. That’s actually… where my roommate is sitting. I’m not sure Raven wants company, though.”

There was only one girl at the table in the dimly-lit back area of the dining hall. She had short, jet-black hair with a purple streak on one side of her head. Her lunch was mostly untouched as she sat reading a book at the table. Dick could also see the glint of a ruby-red gem on her left nostril.

Dick nodded. “So, are we sitting with her or not?” She did look like she wanted to be left alone, and Dick knew from personal experience that everyone needed a little personal space from time to time.

 

Raven looked up from her book to drink whatever beverage was in her mug. Kole took this as an opportunity to wave at her roommate. “Hey, Raven!” Raven rolled her eyes and gave a little sarcastic wave back. Dick could’ve sworn he saw a hint of a smile playing at Raven’s lips.

Gnarrk looked pointedly at Raven. He whispered something into Kole’s ear, and she shook her head. “No, Gnarrk, I don’t think she practices Wicca. Don’t worry!” Kole turned to Dick and shrugged. “We should probably sit somewhere else, don’t you think?” she offered.

Dick looked back at Raven’s otherwise empty table one last time before he walked away, Kole and Gnarrk right behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So Raven probably doesn't practice Wicca... but like let's be real she definitely got into Tarot cards at some point.
> 
> Oh, and I lied about not posting this immediately after Chapter 1. Whoops?


End file.
